Religion, Politics, and Society: Elite Perceptions of Social Crisis in the 1790s

FAIN: FT-12800-76

Whitman H. Ridgway
University of Maryland, College Park (College Park, MD 20742-5141)

This project will explore the religious aspects of the social crisis of the 1790's. During this period, the evangelical churches were successfully challenging the dominance of the traditional ritualistic churches, and the Federalist elite saw in the evangelical sects a serious threat to their vision of society. The study will focus on the leaders of Maryland's traditional church and society, men who were fiercely resisting change.